Ghost kitchens became the hot new restaurant industry trend in 2019. Even big-name tech talent got in on the action, with former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick backing start-up CloudKitchens. In essence, ghost kitchens provide the “kitchen” piece of a restaurant operation without the on-premises dining or direct customer interaction—no host or wait...
Several months ago, at least 4 startups created software platforms for restaurants to purchase food from their suppliers. Then COVID-19 forced the closure of restaurants and these startups -- Choco, Cheetah, Pepper and DineMarket -- all pivoted to allow consumers to buy directly from the companies that used to supply restaurants. The questions...
Robot manufacturer Boston Dynamics has found a new job for its robot dog Spot Mini amidst the coronavirus outbreak: Modified Spot robots, outfitted with iPads, are now letting doctors walk into the rooms of coronavirus patients without risking infection. “Based on these conversations, as well as the global shortage of critical personal...
Central banks have had a busy pandemic. Along with injecting vast amounts of money into the financial system, they have cleaned vast amounts of it—literally. From America to South Korea, central banks have quarantined and disinfected potentially contaminated banknotes. This hassle should make them all the more interested in a digital-currency...
In collaboration with drone manufacturer Draganfly, the police department in Westport, Connecticut is testing “pandemic drones” designed to monitor whether people are adhering to social distancing rules. According to a press release, the drones’ advertised capabilities are extensive. They feature “a specialized sensor and computer vision...
The complexity of automated bin picking is well-known throughout the warehouse industry, requiring huge efforts in both integration and programming. Today, most bin picking products are solely focused on the vision aspect of bin picking and often require hundreds of lines of additional programming to bridge the gap from “pick” to “place” –...
Meet Genie, Gena, and Genius, the latest hires at L’hotel Island South in Hong Kong to beat the coronavirus travel slump. The 76-meter tall members are part of a trio of artificial intelligence robots that the L’hotel Group, which operates seven hotels and serviced apartments in Hong Kong, has deployed since March to serve food and drinks to...
Texas has opened the world's first drive-in funeral theater. Mission Park funeral home in San Antonio has rolled out the new service as the business attempts to adapt to social distancing amid the coronavirus outbreak. Pictures from the first funeral of its kind show mourners parked a safe distance apart, with all vehicles pointed towards the...
In 1917, as the United States deployed troops to a Europe battered by warfare and food shortages, victory gardens sprang up across the U.S. Planted by civilians with urging by the government, these small gardens were made to feed American infantry and help “win the war.” Now, more than a century later, victory gardens are once again in fashion...
Chile plans to issue the world’s first immunity cards for people that have recovered from coronavirus to signal they are no longer contagious and can return to work and their normal lives. The government will start issuing the “Covid-19 cards” next week, Health Minister Jaime Manalich told reporters Thursday, setting out a strict set of...